The physical-chemical properties, fatty acid composition and thermal properties of cattle subcutaneous, tallow and intestinal fats were determined. Subcutaneous fat differed from the other fat types with respect to its lower melting point (29.0 °C) and higher saponification (211.4 mg KOH/g) and iodine (50.55) values. The cattle fat types contained palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid (18:0), oleic acid (18:1n-9) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6) as the major components of fatty acid composition (24.58-25.90%, 10.21-33.33%, 28.18-46.05%, 1.54-1.73%, respectively). A differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study revealed that two characteristic peaks were detected in both crystallization and melting curves. Major peaks (Tpeak) of tallow and intestinal fats were similar and determined as 24.10-27.71 °C and 2.16-4.75 °C, respectively, for crystallization peaks and 7.09-9.39 °C and 43.28-46.49 °C, respectively, for melting peaks in DSC curves; however, those of subcutaneous fat (12.48 °C and -6.79 °C for crystallization peaks and 3.56 °C and 23.55 °C for melting peaks) differed remarkably from those of the other fat types. © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.